Liquid container latch and mounting arrangement for floor treating machines



Jan.27, 1970 L. E. SEGESMAN ,398

LIQUID CONTAINER LATCH AND MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT I FOR FLOOR .TREATING MACHINES Filed Nov. 15, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet- 1 Jan. 27, 197.0 1..5. SEGESMAN 3,491,398

I LIQUID CONTAINER LATCH AND MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR FLOOR TREATING MACHINES Filed'Nov. 15, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan 27, 1970 SEG SMAN 3,491,398

LIQUID CONTAINER LATCH AND MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR FLOOR TREATING MACHINES Filed Nov. 15, 1966 3 SheetsShet 3 Es4/ $1 7 7 Q I r 4a 35 a? 38 53 70: 7, \th 3 a Fig: 4 Fig.3

United States Patent 3,491,398 LIQUID CONTAINER LATCH AND MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR FLOOR TREATING MACHINES Louis E. Segesman, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 594,552 Int. Cl. A47l 11/03, 9/10, 9/32 US. Cl. 115-320 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A liquid container for mounting on an ambulatory floor scrubbing machine includes a latch which serves as a manual carrying handle for the container alone and also for the entire machine when the liquid container is releasably mounted thereon. The combined latch and manual carrying handle member on the container body is formed in one piece and is bendable downward to release the liquid container from its mounted position on the machine. The container body may have special recesses at the rear for receiving projections extending outwardly from the scrubbing machine to support the container body along its length in order to prevent the vertical collapse of the container body, when full of liquid, which would disable the latch.

The present invention relates to a liquid container latch and mounting arrangement for ambulatory floor treating machines. It is common in floor scrubbing machines to mount a detergent dispensing container on the handle in such a manner that it is easily removable. Such containers are usually quite large and not easily grasped in a persons hand, especially if the outside of the container is wet or soapy. To make it convenient to handle the body of the container it is desirable to have a handle thereon. Such a handle should not interfere with the appearance or functioning of the device and should be very economical. Such containers also require some easily releasable manner of latching them to the handle of a floor scrubbing machine. In combined floor scrubbing the liquid pickup machines it is also desirable to have a handle on the body of the container and an easily releasable latch which effects a good seal with the container inlet and air-water separator outlet. In floor scrubbing machines it would be desirable to have a handle which could be used to easily carry the machine from place to place. Present scrubbers have wheels for transport but they are not useable as when traversing stairs or when the wheels might mark up a polished floor. To carry present scrubbers it is necessary to grasp the operating handle in an awkward position or to use both hands to avoid an awkward distribution of weight.

In accordance with the present invention a liquid container for use on scrubbing machines is provided with a combined latch and carrying handle in a novel and very advantageous manner. The carrying handle not only for the container alone but also for the entire scrubbing machine when the container is latched in place thereon. The latch and carrying handle member is arranged in an advantageous manner for use on liquid pick-up devices where a quick and easy seal must be effected between a container inlet and an air-water separator outlet. The body of the container is also provided with special recessess for receiving projections on the scrubbing machine to prevent the latch from releasing when the container is full of liquid and the machine is dropped vertically.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a liquid container with a novel and advantageous latch and carrying handle member.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a ice liquid container with a latch which is easily operated and effects a good seal between a container inlet and an airwater separator outlet on a liquid pickup device.

It is another object of this invention to provide a combined latch and carrying handle member which serves as a carrying handle for a floor scrubbing machine on which the container is mounted as well as serving as a carrying handle for the container alone.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of an appliance having the present invention embodied therein.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded isometric view showing a housing assembly with which the combined latch and carrying handle of the present invention is used.

FIGURE 3 is a front view showing a container having the combined latch and carrying handle thereon and mounted in position on the housing of FIGURE 2 with parts cut away for clarity.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a rear view showing a container having the combined latch and carrying handle of the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a view taken in the same direction as FIGURE 5 and showing only a top portion of the container of FIGURE 5 with parts removed for clarity.

FIGURE 1 shows an ambulatory floor scrubbing and wet pickup device including a main body portion I having thereon power driven brush mounting shaft 2 and suction nozzle 3. Attached to main body portion is a bail bracket 4, the attachment being made in a manner well known to those being skilled in the floor polisher art. Mounted on bail bracket 4 is a housing 5 and attached at the top of housing 5 is a handgrip portion 6 of the handle. Bail bracket 4, housing 5 and handgrip portion 6 form the handle of the device.

Referring now to FIGURE 2 housing 5 is shown as a one-piece plastic molding and has top wall 7, bottom wall 8, side walls 9 and 10, and back wall 11. Substantially midway of back wall 11 and the outer edges of top wall 7, and side walls 9 and 10 housing 5 has formed integrally therewith an inwardly extending flange 12. A bulkhead member 13 fits within housing 5 and the back periphery of the top and side edges of bulkhead 13 are adhesively secured to flange 12. The front portion of bottom wall 8 forwardly of flange 12 on housing 5 rests on bracket 4. Securing member 14 rests on the top of the front portion of bottom wall 8. Bracket 4, bottom wall 8 and securing member 14 are secured together as by rivets, only one of which is indicated by numeral 15, passing through holes in the respective elements as shown. Securing member 14 has upstanding side arms 16 and 17 which are secured to side walls 9 and 10 as by rivet 18 passing through holes in side walls 9 and 10, and in arms 16 and 17 as shown. Rear arms 19 and 20 on securing member 14 are secured to bulkhead 13 as by rivet 21 passing through holes in the respective elements as shown.

The space in the rear of housing 5 behind bulkhead 13 forms a closed chamber which receives tube 22. Tube 22 has its bottom connected with a hole in the rear portion of bottom wall 8 and also with a flexible conduit 23 which is connected to the discharge side of a suction fan in body portion 1. The top end of tube 22 is connected with an elbow conduit 24 formed integrally with bulkhead 13 and projecting rearwardly thereof. The rear closed chamber portion of housing 5 has reinforcing members 25 and 26 formed integrally with top wall 7 and rear wall 11. Reinforcing members 25 and 26 define a socket for receiving the bottom end of handgrip 6 through hole 27 in top wall 7. Handgrip portion 6 has Patented Jan. 27, 1970 holes as at 28 therethrough and screw 29 extends through back wall 11, through holes as at 28 in handgrip 6 and into boss 30 formed integrally with bulkhead 13.

The top portion of bulkhead 13 forms part of an air-water separator and includes a boundary wall 31 on one side of the opening for elbow 24. Thus, the opening for elbow 24 is bounded at its top by a portion of top wall 7 and at its sides by a portion of side wall 10 and boundary wall 31. Cover member 32 is secured to the outer edges of boundary wall 31 and the surrounding portions of top wall 7 and side wall 10 by adhesive. Boundary wall 31 along with cover member 32 and the surrounding portions of top wall 7 and side wall 10 define a reversal conduit to effect a complete reversal in the direction of air flow through tube 22. Air flowing upwardly through tube 22 and elbow 7A completely reverses direction to flow downwardly and exit at the bottom of cover member 32.

A partition element 33 extends completely across housing from side wall 9 to side wall 10. Partition element 33 includes a downwardly inclined flange 34, an upwardly extending substantially vertical flange 35 and an intermediate flange 36. The side edges of flanges 34, 35 and 36 are adhesively secured to side walls 9 and 10, and the forward edge of flange 34 is adhesively secured t bulkhead 13 at flat portion 37. Thus, bulkhead 13 divides housing 5 into a rear closed chamber portion and a front recessed portion, and partition element 33 divides the front recessed portion into an upper air-water separator portion and a lower recessed container mounting portion. Bulkhead 13 is formed integrally with an outwardly extending offset portion 38 spaced slightly above intermediate flange 36 on partition element 33. In assembled position, as shown in FIGURE 4, offset portion 38 extends outwardly from bulkhead 13 beyond the forward edge of intermediate flange 36.

A bottom liquid outlet opening 39 is formed in flange 34 of partition element 33 below intermediate flange 36 and hole 39 is bounded by a rubber gasket 40. The airwater separator is reached from hole 39 through the space between the rearward edge of intermediate flange 36 and bulkhead 13. As seen in FIGURE 4, this space is rearwardly of offset 38 so that the liquid outlet passage from the air-water separator is rearwardly of offset 38.

A closure member 41 is secured to the upper portion of housing 5 as by a screw 42 extending through bored boss 43 in reinforcing member 26 of FIGURE 2, through bored boss 44 in bulkhead 13 and threaded into boss 45 formed integrally with closure member 41. The edges of the top and side walls on closure member 41 seal against the edges of top wall 7 and side walls 9 and 10. A bottom flange 46 extends completely thereacross and seals against upwardly extending flange 35 on partition element 33 as shown in FIGURE 4. Closure member 41 includes air outlet openings 47 in the upper portion thereof. Offset portion 38 on bulkhead 13 has deflectors as at 48 against which the air-Water mixture strikes when emerging from beneath cover member 32 and helps to separate the moisture from the air. When the appliance is in use the handle portion is inclined rearwardly and liquid separated from the air stream collects on deflectors 48 and offset portion 38, and other surfaces in the air-water separator, and drains through the space between the forward edge of intermediate flange 36 and bulkhead 13, and then through opening 39 in downwardly projecting flange 34 in partition element 33.

Referring to FIGURE 5, there is shown a hollow liquid container body 49 having a valved outlet 50 at the bottom rear thereof operated by an actuating rod 51. Container body 49 has an upper portion sloping upwardly from back toward the front to define a flat sloping surface 52. Secured to sloping surface 52 is a latch member 53 which has a flat attaching portion 54 through which screws extend as at 55 in FIGURE 5 into holes as at 56 in sloping surface 52. Sloping surface 52 has a single elongated opening 57 therein and the periphery of attaching portion 54 on latch member 53 seals against the periphery of opening 57. Attaching portion 54 has a clean liquid opening 58 therein providing access to the interior of container 49. Another opening in attaching portion 54 has a neck 59 depending therefrom over which a neck 60 on a collapsible flexible container 61 fits tightly and is adhesively secured. A slot 62 through neck 59 is not completely closed all the Way up by neck 60 so that a small opening at the top of slot 62 provides communication between the interior of flexible container 61 and container body 49. A cap member 63 in FIGURE 2 is provided to close and seal clean liquid opening 58 in FIGURE 5. I

Integral with latch member 53 and projecting upwardly from the front edge thereof is a leg 64. A connecting leg 65 projects outwardly and slightly upwardly from the top of leg 64. Connecting leg 65 may be said to be substan tially horizontal. An outer leg 66 depends from leg 65 as shown in FIGURE 4. Formed substantially at the intersection of legs 65 and 66 is a projection '67. Closure member 41 includes a bottom catch portion 68 depending below flange 46 and projection 67 latches beneath and behind catch portion 68. Latch member 53 is made of substantially rigid but bendable acrylo-nitrile butadiene styrene or polyvinyl acetate, or any other suitable synthetic plastic material as very well known to those skilled in the art. When a horizontal or downward force is applied to leg 66 it causes connecting leg 65 to bend downwardly thereby moving projection 67 to a lower position than its normal rest position so that projection 67 can be engaged and disengaged from catch 68. One side of projection 67 is sloped or cammed as seen in FIGURES 2 and 4 so that it is unnecessary to deform leg 65 when latching. Simply applying a force to the container body 49 causes the cam surface on projection 67 to bear against the bottom of catch 68 to deform leg 65 and allow projection 67 to snap behind catch 68. Taken together legs 64, 65 and 66 on latch member 53 define a handle sub stantially in the shape of an inverted U. The top forward portion of container body 49 is sloped upwardly at 69 to provide clearance beneath leg 66 for a persons fingers. This could be omitted by making leg 64 longer but the preferred disclosed embodiment saves considerable space and is superior. Thus, legs 64, 65 and 66 together define a carrying handle for container body 49 and also for the entire appliance when container body 49 is in position on the recessed front of housing 5.

Valve 50 on container 49 rests on valve seat 70 on securing member 14 as seen in FIGURE 2. Container body 49 has a recess 71 in the bottom forward portion thereof to receive retainer 72 on securing member 14 to keep the bottom portion of container body 49 from falling outwardly. Container body 49 is blow molded of polyethylene or other suitable material as well known to those skilled in the art. Such materials bow outwardly slightly when the container is filled with liquid and this decreases the height of the container. Also, in the present device when the container body 49 is in position as shown in FIGURE 4 and the device is dropped or vertically jarred the weight of liquid in container body 49 bows the Walls out and tends to collapse the container vertically. This tends to unlatch projection 67 from catch 68. To prevent this, bulkhead 13 'has outwardly extended projections 73 and 74 which are received in recesses 75 and 76 in the back of container body 49. The top walls of the recesses 75 and 76 rest on projections 73 and 74 to prevent vertical collapse of container body 49. Thus, even though the front and side walls of container body 49 bow outwardly the support provided by projections 73 and 74 is suflicient to prevent enough vertical collapse which would release the latch. When container body 49 is in position as shown in FIGURE 4 gasket 40 around outlet 39 from the air-water separator seals against the outer periphery of opening 59 in attaching portion 54 leading to collapsible container 61, and valve 50 seals against valve seat 70. Projections 73 and 74 also help to maintain an effective seal between gasket 40 and opening 59. The recesses 75 and 76 should definitely be in the upper half of container body 49 and preferably well above the midpoint. The resiliency in legs 64, 65 and 66 once projection 67 is latched beneath catch 68 biases the container body 49 inwardly and downwardly to effectively seal the valve 50 against seat 70, and gasket 40 against opening 59. Lower flange 34 on partition element 33 slopes at substantially the same angle as sloping portion 52 on container body 49 so that an effective seal can be established. The slope angle is preferably around forty-five degrees although it could vary between substantially 40 to 50 degrees.

Container body 49 is adapted to be filled with clean liquid through opening 58 and that liquid is dispensed through valve 50 and hose 77 connected to valve seat 70 through holes 78 and 79 in bracket 4 and bottom wall 8 of housing 5. Dirty liquid feeds from the air-water separator into collapsible container 61 which expands to have larger capacity as clean liquid is dispensed. With the communicating Opening provided by slot 62 the interiors of container body 49 and container 61 are always at the same pressure which will be atmospheric if the fan is not running or above atmospheric if the fan is running. When container 61 has a considerable amount of liquid therein and the handle is tilted far back there is a tendency for the liquid to run out of container 61 through separator outlet 39 and up the space between flange 36 and bulkhead 13. However, liquid blocking the space between flange 36 and bulkhead 13 leaves both containers 49 and 61 sealed so that a partial vacuum is created therein by the loss of liquid from container 61. The atmospheric or above atmospheric pressure on liquid in the space between flange 36 and bulkhead 13 then prevents further liquid from flowing out of container 61 because the interiors of container 61 and container body 49 are below atmospheric pressure. This provides an advantageous anti-flood feature to prevent dirty liquid from flowing back down tube 22. or out vent openings 47 if the handle is tilted back too far.

It is seen from FIGURE 4 that a persons fingers may be received between leg 66 and front sloping surface 69 on container body 49 to carry the entire device about in a convenient manner which is not awkward and provides good weight distribution.

Other details of a device with which the present invention is used are disclosed in copending applications of Robert F. Dyer, Ser. No. 594,624, filed Nov. 15, 1966, Brandt F. Ziegler, Ser. No. 594,623, filed Nov. 15, 1966, and Donald R. Bowers, Ser. No. 594,580, filed Nov. 15, 1966.

I claim:

1. A liquid container adapted to be releasably mounted on an ambulatory machine comprising; a hollow body with a top portion, a latch member, extending outwardly from said hollow body of said liquid container, said latch member having an inner connecting end and an outer free end, a resilient attaching portion forming at least part of said inner end of said latch member, said attaching portion being secured to said top portion of said body of said container, an integral handle portion forming at least part of said outer free end of said latch member, said integral handle portion projecting upwardly and outwardly from said attaching portion, projection means extending upwardly from said handle portion and adapted to coact with cooperating catch means on an ambulatory machine to releasably mount said liquid container on the ambulatory machine, said handle portion being bendable downwardly to move said projection means lower, closer to said top portion of said body of said liquid container, whereby when said liquid container is releasably mounted on an ambulatory machine said projection means can be displaced out of contact with the cooperating catch means of the ambulatory machine so that said liquid container can be removed from the ambulatory machine, said handle portion being graspable in a persons hand to serve as a manual carrying handle for said container alone when said container is separate from an ambulatory machine and for carrying an entire ambulatory machine when said liquid container is releasably mounted on the ambulatory machine, whereby the upwardly biasing of said handle caused by lifting of the ambulatory machine by said handle serves to more firmly engage said projection means, extending upwardly from said handle portion, with the catch means on the ambulatory machine in which said liquid container is releasably mounted insuring that the liquid container does not become separated from the ambulatory machine while the machine is being carried.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said body of said container has a front and a back and said top portion defines a sloping portion which slopes upwardly from said back toward said front, said attaching portion being secured to said sloping portion, and said handle portion being substantially in the shape of an inverted U and having one leg secured to said ataching portion.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said U-sha-ped handle portion includes a connecting leg and two end legs, said projection extending upwardly from the top of said connecting leg, and the rear of said projection being cammed and sloping upwardly from back to front of said container.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein said sloping portion has one opening therein and said attaching portion has a pair of openings therein in alignment with said one opening, the periphery of said attaching portion being sealed against the periphery of said one opening.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said top portion has an opening therein and said attaching portion has an opening therein in alignment with said opening in said top ortion.

6. The device of claim 1 and further including an ambulatory machine for treating floors, said ambulatory machine having a body portion, handle means connected to said body portion, support means on the lower portion of said handle means, and catch means on said handle means spaced a substantial distance above said support means, said container having a bottom portion supported on said support means, said projection means being engaged beneath and behind said catch means.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said body portion of said ambulatory machine has a suction pickup nozzle thereon, an air-water separator on said handle means adjacent said catch means, suction creating means on said machine, and conduit means connecting said nozzle, air-water separator and suction creating means, an outlet opening in the bottom portion of said air-Water separator, an inlet opening in the top portion of said con tainer, said inlet opening in said container being aligned with said outlet opening in said air-water separator, the periphery of said inlet opening being held in sealing engagement with the periphery of said outlet opening by said projection and catch means.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said container has a front and back and said top portion of said container defines a sloping portion sloping upwardly from said back toward said front, said attaching portion of said latch member being secured to said sloping portion, said inlet opening being formed through said sloping portion and said attaching portion, and said outlet opening in said air-water separator being in a bottom wall which slopes downwardly from front to back at substantially the same slope as said sloping portion of said container.

9. The device of claim 6 wherein said container has an outlet valve in the bottom thereof and said support means supports said container only at said outlet valve, lug means projecting outwardly from said handle means intermediate said support and catch means above the midpoint of said container, recess means in the back wali of said container above the midpoint thereof, said lug means being received in said recess means with the top surface of said recess means bearing against the top surface of said lug means.

10. The device of claim 6 wherein said handle portion of said latch member has a cross-sectional shape substantially of an inverted U, one end leg of said handle portion being secured to said attaching portion whereby the other leg and the connecting portion of said U-shaped handle portion forms a carrying handle for said machine.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said U-shaped handle portion includes a connecting leg and two end legs, said projection extending upwardly from the top of said connecting leg, and the rear of said projection being cammed and sloping upwardly from back to front of said container.

12. A liquid container adapted to be releasably mounted on an ambulatory machine comprising; a hollow body with top and bottom portions and a front surface, a latch member extending outwardly from said holloW body of said liquid container, said latch member having an inner connecting end and an outer free end, a resilient attaching portion forming at least part of said inner end of said latch member, said attaching portion being secured to one of said portions of said body of said container, an integral handle portion forming at least part of said outer free end of said latch member, said integral handle portion projecting from said attaching portion and extending laterally thereof,-in spaced relation to said one portion of said container, said handle portion having an outer surface, abutment means on said outer surface and adapted to coact with cooperating catch means on an ambulatorymachine to releasably mount said liquid container on the ambulatory machine, said handle portion being bendable to move said abutment means closer to said one portion of said body of said container, whereby when said liquid container is re leasably mounted on an ambulatory machine said abutment means can be displaced out of contact with the 00 operating catch means of the ambulatory machine so that said liquid container can be removed from the ambulatory machine, said handle portion having a terminal end facing toward said front surface of said body of said container, said handle portion being graspable in a persons hand with a persons fingers extending beneath said terminal end whereby said handle portion serves as a manual carrying handle for said container alone when said container is separate from an ambulatory machine,

and for carrying an entire ambulatory machine when said liquid container is releasably mounted on the ambulatory machine, whereby the upwardly biasing of said handle caused by lifting of the ambulatory machine by said handle serves-to more firmly engage said abutment means, extending upwardly from said handle portion, with the catch means on the ambulatory machine in which said liquid container is releasably mounted insuring that the liquid container does not become separated from the ambulatory machine while the machine is being carried.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein said terminal end of said handle portion extends at an angle to a horizontal plane in a direction away from said one portion of said body of said container toward the other portion thereof.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein said handle portion extends from said attaching portion at a connecting point, said attaching portion and said handle portion extending in substantially opposite directions on opposite sides of said connecting point.

References Cited ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. s 353; 222 191 

